My Girlfriend is a Zombie Chapter 2 – Crossing the Danger Zone

As the last glimmer of daylight vanished over the horizon, Ling Mo finally returned to his temporary sanctuary.

It was a nondescript structure, fortified with a sturdy iron door. The roof offered access to adjacent buildings, and the ample open space in front and behind provided a strategic advantage. Situated on the outskirts, this location boasted significantly fewer survivors and zombies compared to the heavily populated city center, thus ensuring a greater degree of safety.

More importantly, this place had once served as a warehouse for a small furniture factory. The lingering scent of low-quality paints and wood effectively masked Ling Mo’s own aroma, rendering him virtually undetectable to the infected.

The virus had not only spared the monsters' senses but had actually amplified them. They now possessed impeccable night vision and hearing and olfactory senses far surpassing those of ordinary humans.

Before retiring for the night, Ling Mo presented his zombie puppet with a piece of rancid meat. He then positioned the puppet outside the iron door, secured the lock, and finally allowed himself to rest.

Even in slumber, Ling Mo meticulously maintained his spiritual connection with the zombie. While taxing, this practice served a dual purpose: it honed his own abilities and kept him perpetually vigilant.

Achieving adequate rest while simultaneously sustaining this connection was no simple feat. It had taken Ling Mo numerous attempts to strike the right balance. Now, he slept in a state of light slumber, his senses attuned to even the slightest disturbance in his surroundings.

Yet, tonight, sleep eluded Ling Mo. A particular figure persistently occupied his thoughts.

Since the tragic loss of his parents, the person he missed most in this world was her – his childhood friend and the object of his affections, Ye Lian.

When the catastrophe first struck, he had received her final, desperate phone call.

“Big brother Lin, run!”

Her words were abruptly cut short by the piercing beep of a disconnected line.

Ling Mo understood with chilling certainty that Ye Lian was likely gone. During the chaos of the outbreak, she had been heading towards his home, intending to prepare a comforting meal and improve his living conditions.

This knowledge left a perpetual ache in Ling Mo’s heart. Regardless of whether she was alive or deceased, he felt an unyielding obligation to find Ye Lian.

“Tomorrow, I will go find her…”

After extensive preparations, Ling Mo believed his newfound ability to control a zombie puppet would enable him to traverse the city.

He had already visualized her potential location – not excessively far, yet separated by two residential zones considered the most perilous.

However, to navigate this treacherous path with the utmost safety, Ling Mo had meticulously prepared for every contingency. All that remained was to await the dawn.

As morning broke, Ling Mo’s eyes snapped open. He dismounted from his rudimentary bed and, after a final check of his backpack, took a deep, steadying breath before descending the stairs.

The zombie puppet, under his command, had faithfully guarded the entrance. Its clothing was damp from the night's chill, yet its form bore no indication of fatigue.

For reasons yet unknown, the sudden viral outbreak had not only transformed most humans into monstrous beings but had also imbued them with formidable physical prowess. Ling Mo had observed, however, that their constant need for high-intensity physical exertion compelled them to consume instinctively, their prey being the uninfected survivors.

Clutching his bone knife, Ling Mo unlatched the iron gate. With his zombie puppet in tow, he set off towards their predetermined route.

Upon entering a residential area, the density of wandering zombies increased markedly. Attracting them with sound was no longer a viable option; the convoluted environment posed too great a risk to his own safety.

The only recourse was to select a path with minimal zombie presence and proceed with utmost stealth.

An ordinary individual would face insurmountable challenges navigating such terrain. Fortunately, Ling Mo possessed a zombie puppet.

Aided by his puppet’s assistance, Ling Mo systematically dispatched over a dozen zombies, successfully clearing the path. He now stood on a street that had once buzzed with activity.

This area served as a transition zone between the suburbs and the city proper. Ling Mo surmised that Ye Lian might have been near a corner here when she made her final call.

Abandoned vehicles littered the thoroughfares, and the shops, though their doors gaped open, were shrouded in impenetrable darkness.

Apart from the ubiquitous bloodstains, the only inhabitants of this street were the zombies.

Although Ling Mo had eliminated a considerable number of zombies in recent days, this was his first encounter with such a massive concentration of them. Within his immediate sight, there were at least several dozen, not to mention the countless others lurking in the shadows.

Ling Mo contemplated seeking a vantage point from a nearby residential building. Just as he approached, a terrified scream pierced the air in the distance.

“Help Ah!”

To his surprise, other survivors were still around! Ling Mo swiftly directed the zombie puppet, cautiously advancing towards the source of the sound.

Outside a residential building, approximately a dozen zombies were gathered, relentlessly pounding on a security door.

Behind the sturdy metal, two terrified teenagers desperately clung to the door, simultaneously attempting to keep it shut and shrieking for assistance.

“Fools…” Ling Mo muttered, his gaze darting nervously around the vicinity.

Such loud cries would inevitably draw more zombies. Ling Mo had initially intended to offer help if possible, but now, a hasty intervention seemed more likely to endanger himself.

Before long, additional zombies were enticed by the commotion, relentlessly battering the security door. The resounding 'bang bang' against the metal echoed, causing the connecting walls to begin to buckle.

The faces of the two young men turned ashen, and their already piercing screams of terror intensified…

“Crash!”

With a final, resounding impact, the security door finally gave way. The screams of the two teenagers were swiftly swallowed by the encroaching horde of zombies…

However, this turn of events presented an opportunity for Ling Mo. Exploiting the zombies' complete fixation on the scene, he saw his chance to traverse this district.

After successfully navigating through the densely populated zombie-infested area, Ling Mo had no time to celebrate before he discovered that the intersection ahead was obstructed by a bus and several other vehicles.

During the chaos of the outbreak, there were bound to be numerous traffic accidents. This was particularly true for a large bus filled with passengers. Whether the passengers had mutated, panicked, or succumbed to the situation, terrible events were sure to have transpired.

Observing the scene, the bus lay overturned, a consequence of desperate vehicles fleeing and colliding, resulting in a catastrophic chain reaction that had completely deformed the vehicle.

He couldn't fathom what fate had befallen the passengers within—perhaps trapped and perished, or more likely, all transformed into zombies…

Ling Mo considered finding a way around, but as his eyes fell upon the damaged bus, a sudden thought struck him.

Ye Lian had always seemed to favor taking the bus whenever she visited… The moment this thought surfaced, Ling Mo’s perception of the bus shifted entirely.

His heart began to pound with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

There was a significant chance that Ye Lian was on this very bus. If she hadn't managed to escape in time, she might still be inside.

Despite feeling as prepared as he could be, Ling Mo found himself slightly panicked at the prospect of confronting the reality.

Would he find a decomposed body, or nothing at all, or…?

Exhaling a long, slow breath, Ling Mo directed the zombie puppet to clamber onto the deformed front of the bus.

The sensation of controlling the zombie puppet was remarkable, akin to possessing a shadow clone. Through the spiritual link connecting him to the puppet, Ling Mo could not only command its movements but also receive feedback, even sensing its facial expressions.

Yet, a subtle barrier remained between Ling Mo and the zombie puppet, preventing him from achieving complete and absolute control.

From Ling Mo’s perspective, the pinnacle of mastering zombie puppet control would be a state of complete fusion with the puppet itself…

Though the idea felt peculiar, Ling Mo eagerly anticipated reaching such a level of mastery.